respond.io vs SleekFlow
We give respond.io a 2.6 GPA and SleekFlow a 2.2, out of 4.0. respond.io grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
respond.io
Team inbox for WhatsApp, social chats, email and calls with AI agents
SleekFlow
Shared inbox and AI agents for WhatsApp, social chats, SMS and email
How we grade them
| 2.6GPArespond.ioGood | 2.2GPASleekFlowFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BStarter is $79 a month for up to 5 users billed annually ($99 monthly), so a team of five pays a price per head inside the cheaper quarter of help desks. One person pays the whole $79. Workflows, AI agents and the API start on Growth at $159, and Meta's WhatsApp fees come on top. | DBroadcasts start on Pro at $109 a month billed yearly for 500 active contacts, and each extra 100 is $20, so messaging 1,000 customers a month comes to $209. That's near the dear end even against its WhatsApp rivals, and the $15 WhatsApp number fee and message charges come on top. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 7-day free trial of Growth for 5 users and 1,000 contacts, with no credit card needed. A week is short, but it's enough to plug in WhatsApp and see how the inbox feels. | CNo free plan, but a 7-day free trial of Pro with 500 monthly active contacts and no credit card. Short, but enough to plug in a channel and look around. |
| Features | BThe whole job, with more channels than most: WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, Viber, LINE, WeChat, chat, email and SMS in one inbox, calls in the same thread, AI agents, workflows, broadcasts and lifecycle stages. Starter leaves the automation out. | BThe whole job across more channels than anything else here: WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, SMS, Telegram, Viber, email and calls, plus AI agents, broadcasts, a flow builder and contact records with lifecycle stages. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. Each channel needs connecting, WhatsApp included, then there are workflows, AI agents and lifecycle stages to set up, and a contact tier to keep an eye on. | CNo App Store rating on record. Each channel needs connecting, then there are flows and AI agents to build, and an active-contact count to watch. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with the full inbox on every plan, plus HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Shopify, Zapier, Make, Calendly and Google Sheets, and a developer API from Growth. No desktop app, which an A needs. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Shopify, Zapier, Make and API access from Pro, and Stripe payment links. HubSpot and Zoho start on Premium and Salesforce on Enterprise, and there's no desktop app, which an A needs. |
| Best for | support and sales over WhatsApp and social chat | one inbox for WhatsApp, social, SMS and email |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: respond.io and SleekFlow. How we grade
Where they differ
- respond.io starts at $79 per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($99 billed monthly). SleekFlow starts at $49 per month for up to 3 seats, billed annually ($69 billed monthly).
- respond.io also covers workflow automation and live chat.
- SleekFlow also covers marketing automation and whatsApp messaging.
At a glance
| respond.io | SleekFlow | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $79 per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($99 billed monthly) | $49 per month for up to 3 seats, billed annually ($69 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Growth for 5 users and 1,000 contacts, no credit card needed | 7-day free trial of Pro with 500 monthly active contacts, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Rocketbots Limited (respond.io) | SleekFlow Technologies Limited |
| Price read from | respond.io | sleekflow.io |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
respond.io
- Consumer businesses that sell and support customers over WhatsApp
- Teams handling leads from Meta and TikTok ads in chat
- Field or hybrid teams who answer chats and calls from their phones
SleekFlow
- Retail and service businesses in Asia and Latin America that sell over WhatsApp
- Teams answering WhatsApp, Instagram and email from one inbox
- Companies that want AI agents to qualify leads before a person steps in
Worth knowing
respond.io
- WhatsApp fees are charged by Meta on top of the plan, and SMS and VoIP are billed at the provider's rates.
- Contacts past the tier cost $12 per 100 on Growth and $15 per 100 on Advanced; extra AI credits are $15 per 1,000.
- Extra users cost $12, $20 and $24 a month on Starter, Growth and Advanced billed yearly ($15, $25 and $30 monthly).
- Starter has no broadcasts, workflows, AI agents or developer API; those start on Growth.
SleekFlow
- WhatsApp numbers cost $15 a month to host and SMS or VoIP numbers $1, and messages and calls are billed per SleekFlow's rate card on top of the plan.
- Past the plan's allowance, 100 more active contacts are added at $20 each time; extra seats cost $15 on Essential, $25 on Pro and Premium and $29 on Enterprise.
- HubSpot, Zoho, webhooks and role-based access start at Premium; Salesforce is Enterprise only.
- Human chat support in office hours starts at Premium; other plans get AI chat support and email.
Key features
respond.io
- One inbox for messaging channels
- WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, Viber, LINE, WeChat, a website chat widget, email (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, SMTP) and SMS through providers, in one shared inbox.
- Calls in the same thread
- WhatsApp Business calls, Messenger calls and VoIP calls sit beside the chats with that contact; recording, transcripts and summaries come from Growth.
- AI agents
- From Growth, AI agents answer questions, qualify leads, follow up and route conversations to people, drawing on AI credits that grow with the contact tier.
- Workflows and broadcasts
- Automations for routing, assignment and follow-ups, and bulk messages to segments of contacts, both from the Growth plan.
- Lifecycle stages and CRM sync
- Track each contact through lifecycle stages; HubSpot sync starts on Growth and Salesforce on Advanced.
- Native mobile apps
- iOS and Android apps with the full inbox, calls, assignments and team activity, included on every plan.
SleekFlow
- One inbox for chats, email and calls
- WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, SMS, Telegram, Viber, Gmail and Outlook email and VoIP calls in one inbox, on the web and in the mobile app.
- AI agents
- From Pro, AI agents answer from your knowledge base and hand over to a person. On Premium they can act in other systems, such as updating orders or bookings.
- Broadcast campaigns
- Bulk messages to segments from Pro, sent from the web or the app. Message fees are charged separately by template, country and volume.
- Flow Builder
- No-code automations from Pro, with a cap on active flows that rises by plan; Premium adds HTTP request and webhook steps.
- Contacts and lifecycle stages
- Each conversation links to a contact record with lifecycle stage, owner and purchase history, shown on a kanban board, with custom objects on every plan.
- Sales tools
- WhatsApp catalog, Stripe payment links and Shopify, with Facebook Lead Ads and TikTok Instant Forms for capturing leads from ads.
Plans
respond.io
Starter$79
per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
Team and custom inboxes, mobile app, AI Assist and prompts, basic reports and 2FA. The comparison table shows unlimited monthly active contacts and 5,000 AI credits.
Growth$159
per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($199 monthly)
10 users. Adds broadcasts, workflows, AI agents, advanced reports, Zapier and Make, and the developer API. The price rises with the contact tier you pick.
Advanced$279
per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($349 monthly)
10 users. Adds masked phone numbers and emails, multiple workspaces, webhooks, HTTP requests, SSO and custom channels. Sold through sales; price rises with contacts.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited users, more workspaces, higher API rate limits and a custom contact allowance. Priced on request.
SleekFlow
Essential$49
per month for up to 3 seats, billed annually ($69 billed monthly)
Shared inbox with 5 channels, unlimited active contacts, AI co-pilot and simple automations. Rolling out by country and booked through a demo.
Pro$109
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($139 monthly)
10 users, AI agents, broadcasts, the flow builder, Shopify, Zapier and Make, and API access. Counts monthly active contacts; each extra 100 costs $20.
Premium$279
per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($349 monthly)
10 users. Adds HubSpot and Zoho, webhooks, role-based access, multiple workspaces, deeper analytics and 60-day onboarding. Extra contacts $20 per 100.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom contacts and seats, Salesforce, PII masking, chat export, SLAs and a customer success manager.
Ways to pay less
respond.io
- Annual discount
Save up to 20% with yearly billing
respond.io's pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 20%: Starter is $948 a year against $1,188 billed monthly, Growth $1,908 against $2,388.
SleekFlow
- Annual discount
Save up to 20% with yearly billing
SleekFlow's pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 20%: Essential is $588 a year against $828 billed monthly, Pro $1,308 against $1,668.
